The demands were made on Wednesday during an engagement between the Friends Network, a support group backing the governorship ambition of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, and chairmen of Community Development Councils in Ifo Local Government Area.
The community leaders also called for improved government-community relations through the appointment of liaison officers who would serve as a bridge between the government and grassroots residents.
The Friends Network delegation was led by a former Ogun State governorship aspirant, Hon. Kayode Tejuoso, who said the group was established by individuals committed to supporting Adeola’s aspiration to govern Ogun State in 2027.
Tejuoso described Adeola as a politician with the experience and capacity to provide purposeful leadership and move the state forward.
According to him, members of the network were united by their confidence in the senator’s ability to deliver good governance and respond to the needs of residents across the state.
“All of us in the Friends Network love Senator Yayi. We are friends of the incoming governor, and that is what has brought us together to support him,” Tejuoso said.
He urged the CDCs and Community Development Associations to properly identify and document their most pressing needs for onward presentation to the senator.
“We want to know the pressing needs of every community and have them properly documented. Senator Yayi wants to know what our people need so that he can address those needs when the opportunity comes,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the communities, the Chairman of the Ifo Area CDC, Otunba Oladehinde, identified road rehabilitation as one of the major priorities of residents in the area.
Oladehinde specifically appealed for the reconstruction of the road leading to the site of the Bellview Airlines crash in Lisa, describing the route as being in a deplorable condition.
He also called for the transformation of the location where victims of the crash were buried into a memorial, tourist and historical centre.
According to him, preserving the site would serve as a lasting remembrance of one of Nigeria’s major aviation tragedies while also creating historical value for the community.
Oladehinde further identified the Seriki-Kajola Road and several other strategic roads across Ifo as requiring urgent government intervention.
He particularly lamented the poor condition of roads linking Ifo Market, Adenrele and Oja Ale, describing them as critical economic routes used daily by traders, residents and business owners.
“The roads are very important because they serve as major areas where the people of Ifo carry out their businesses and generate income. Roads around Ifo Market, Adenrele and Oja Ale are in very bad condition and need urgent attention,” Oladehinde said.
On electricity, the CDC chairman said many communities within Ifo Local Government were experiencing poor power supply, calling for the provision of additional transformers.
“We need a lot of transformers for many communities in Ifo. Electricity is very poor, and this is affecting businesses and the daily lives of our people,” he said.
Oladehinde also appealed for the appointment of liaison officers from within the various communities to strengthen communication between the government and grassroots residents.
He said community leaders often mobilised residents in support of political leaders and government programmes but were sometimes neglected after elections.
“We work very hard to support anyone who needs our support, but after they get what they want, the communities are sometimes neglected. There should be liaison officers appointed from within the communities to serve as a bridge between the government and the people,” he added.
Other CDC chairmen who spoke during the engagement also listed the rehabilitation of roads, improved electricity supply and the provision of transformers among their priority demands.
Ifo Local Government Area has about 100 Community Development Councils, making it one of the major grassroots blocs expected to play a significant role in political mobilisation ahead of the 2027 governorship election in Ogun State.
Tejuoso, however, appealed to the CDC executives and other community leaders to support Adeola’s governorship ambition and intensify mobilisation across their respective communities.
He assured them that the concerns and demands raised during the engagement would be properly documented and presented to the APC governorship hopeful.
Other members of the delegation included Engr. Ayotunde Ayodeji, RTEAN Secretary; Chief Tiwalade Akingbade, popularly known as Paulo Rossi; Hon. (Engr.) Kennykadri Edu; Hon. Segun Idowu; Mr. Gbenga Ogunlesi; Mr. Olumide Bajomo; Dr. Tito Adebajo; Mr. Tosin Mosuro; and Mr. Johnson Okuribido.
Others were Pastor Kunle Odewale, Pastor Lekan Araba, Hon. Ojoye Olasehinde, the Oke-Ona CDC Chairman, Alhaji Tijani Qozeem, and Mr. Babalola Gafar.
